Milk from cows supplemented with ATI Pack packed a significantly stronger antioxidant punch.

Enhancing milk antioxidant strength has implications for shelf life as well as nutrition-based branding. Substantial success was reported in using programmed nutrition to increase antioxidant capacity in a series of trials using 6 dairy herds in SW Kentucky.

In each trial, vitamin and trace mineral supplements were replaced in dairy diets for 2 to 3 weeks with ATI Dairy Pack, a bundled, proprietary Alltech technology designed to meet the supplemental trace mineral and vitamin needs of lactating cows. ATI Dairy Pack contains trace minerals in a bioavailable organic form plus additives intended to promote digestive health.

Milk samples were assayed for properties related to antioxidant capacity:

• Selenium content
• Total antioxidant capacity using FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power)
• Radical scavenging ability using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl)
   

Milk from cows supplemented with ATI Pack packed a significantly stronger antioxidant punch:

• Selenium content increased P
• Total antioxidant capacity was greater (individual samples 9% (P0.10)).
• Radical scavenging ability increased P>0.10 (individual samples 11%; bulk samples 15%).

Enhancing antioxidant properties of milk using a programmed, nutritional approach. GA Harrison, MS Taylor, MD Meyer and KA Dawson. 2011 Joint Annual Meeting of ASAS/ADSA New Orleans July 10?14.